Pliers



20, G. Q j:- BECK 1,891,865

PLIERs Filed April 5, 1931 Patented Dec. 20, 1932 UNITEDr STATES PATENT oFFIcE GUSTAF G. F. BECK, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, ASSIGNOR OF FORTY-NINE ONE- HUNDREDTHS TO GEORGE O. DARROW, F MISSION SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA PLIERS Application filed April 3, 1931.

This invention relates to pliers and more particularly to pliers mainly utilized for the purpose of gripping and turning nuts, pipes, etc. At the present time slip joint pliers are widely used to afford a desired degree of adj ustability for gripping nuts and pipes varying considerably in size.

The pivotal connection between the two crossed members may be shifted when the members are disposed in a predetermined, widely swung position. This shifting requires time and furthermore, the pivot pin which is iiatted will often become worn after l5 hard use, with the result that the crossed members will accidentally slip from the first to the second or wider adjusted position.

It is an object of my invention to provide exceedingly simple, but highly efficient pliers 2.0 wherein comparatively wide adjustment in the spaced relations of the jaws may be obtained without manually shifting the position of the pivot point and wherein the strains are received and distributed upon the pivotal portions in an efficient manner.

More specifically it is an object to provide gripping pliers wherein a pair of crossed members are connected. together by means of a special cam bearing permitting free pivoting of the members while automatically shitting the axis of the pivotal connection as required in accordance with the size of the article to be gripped.

It is a further object of my invention to pr'ovide a pair of gripping pliers wherein the cooperating jaws are provided with cooperating means for tightly engaging the oppositely disposed corners otnuts and wherein fur- 0 ther provision is made for gripping pipes and also relatively small articles.

` Still another object is to provide in pliers of the class described means for limiting the opening member of the tool toa position where the Shanks or handles of the members may be surrounded with the normal extended grip of the hand. j

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be fully set forth in the following description made in connection Serial No. 527,372.

with the accompanying drawing, in which like reference characters refer to similar parts throughout theseveral views, and in which l Fig.` 1 is a plan view of an embodiment of my invention with the pliers in an intermediate open position, a portion of the disk or retaining flange of the pivot member being .broken away to show the shape and construction of the camming'surfaces;

Fig. 2 is a cross section taken onv the line 22 of Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the complete cam pivot detached, and

Fig. l is a plan view of a slightly di'erent 65 form of the invention with the members shown in closed position.

As shown in the drawing, my pliers comprise pair of crossed members designated as eiitireties by the numerals 5 and 6 and having the cooperating jaw portions 5a and 6a respectively and the shanks or handle portions 52) and 6?). Said members may be constructed from cast iron, case hardened metal or tool steel or any suitable material. The members on their opposing surfaces are provided with dat bearing portions and member 5 is provided with a cani pivot 7 which projects normal its .bearing portion and which is of figure 8 shape in cross section. Campivot 7 has a reduced shank 7a which may be liattened to non-rotatively engage a compleinentary shaped aperture formed through the cross portion of member 5 and aretaining nut 8 may be threadedly secured to the projecting end of said shank. The longitudinal center line of the cross sectional area of cam pivot Textends at an acute angle to the longitudinal Ycenter line of the pair of pliers when the same kare in closed position. In the form shown l lind that the said angle may effectively be between 30 degrees and 50 degrees, although of course further variation may be made, all within the scope or" my invention. 95

The bearing portion of member 6 is pro- Yvided with a centrally disposed aperture in the shape of a figure 8 forming a peripheral bearing or camming edge E for engagement with the cam pivot 7. It will be notedy that the figure v8 shaped camming edge is of approximately the same lengt-h as the cross sectional length of cam pivot 7 but is considerably wider and is not symmetrically .The cam pivot 7 carries an external disk or iange 7 b which is adapted to slightly overlap fand cover the bearing edge 'E defined in the aperture in member 6 and retaining the .two parts of the pliers together inoperative relation.

The cooperating surfaces of the yjaws shown in Fig. l are provided with angular oppositely disposed recessed portions R which are adapted to receive and tightly grip oppositely disposed corners of a hexagonal 'or octagonal nut. Member 5' has a toothed pipe-gripping portion v on the jaw disposed inwardly or toward the pivot from the angular gripping portion R and member 6 has acooperating angled portion 6c disposed oppositely thereto.

The form of the invention shown inv Fig. 4; VSfSimilar to the form previously described with the exception that the jaws thereof are provided with the conventional pipe-gripping teeth lrather than the special cooperatj gripping elements shown in Fig. 1.

e In' use the pliers will be manipulated in the conventional manner the members being swung together by movement of the handle portions or. shanks. The relative positions of cam'pivot 7 and bearing edge E will automatically be determined by the thickness or size of the nut, pipe or other article gripped by the jaws. In other words, there will be lan automatic lateral shifting of the member 6 relatively to the cam pivot 7 when the same is necessary to extend the jaws or widen the space between the cooperating edges thereof. In every instance pressure will be applied between portions of the cam edge of member 7 and the bearing edge E of member 6 and in most instances the strain will be distributed between two oppositely disposed points on the pivot and on the bearing edge. The thrust will always be a downward or inward thrust with reference to the outer portions of the pliers which engage the object to be gripped.

With my structure I am able to obtain a Agreater .or at least as'` great arange of ad- Ajustability of the jaws with the same spread fof the handlemembers or Shanks as inthe conventional slip joint Vpliers extensively utilized. This adjustment as has been shown standing cam pivot, the other of said vmeml1,891,8et

is automatically effected, the slippage of the camming and pivotal elements occurring without setting on the part of the user.

It will be noted that due to the type of pivotal connection, strains and stresses will be distributed andthe inter-connections of the two members will be relatively strong without increasing the dimensions above the conventional size.

will also befnoticedlv that the heaviest strains are applied in a direction longitudinal of member 6 and the narrower portions surrounding the bearing edge E will therefore not 'brea with hard usage.

From the yforegoing description it Wllbe seen that I .have invented a verysimple, -practical and highly efficient pair of plierscapa'- ble of wide general useand adapted lto Vbe manufactured as cheaply as conventional slip joint pliers now extensively utilized.V '85 Itwi'll', of course, be understood that various changes may be made in the form, details,

proportions and arrangement of theV parts, without departing from the scope of my invention, which, lgenerally stated, consists in a device capable of carrying outthe objects above set forth, and in the novel parts and lcombinations of `parts disclosed and defined in the appended claims. v

V What isclaimed is i- '95 L'In pliers, a Apair of swingably united crossed members having copera-ting jaw portions, one of said members carry-ing atits crossed portion a substantially elliptical up- ,i

00 bers having va substantially elliptical apertured portion provided vwith a bearingedge, said apertured portion being substantially equal in its longer dimension to the longer.A dimension of he cross section of said cami '105 pivot but substantially greater in its shorter dimension than the shorter dimension of said cross'section and meansY associated with said cam pivot'for retaining said members tot., gether for swinging movement. *110 2. In pliers, la .pair of elongated crossed members having cooperating jaw portions, one of said members carrying at its crossed portion an upstanding cam pivot of generaL- elliptical cross sectional shape, the center' 115 line of which is disposed at an acute angle to the longitudinal centerline of the pliers when said members are swung together, the second of said -members having an apertured .por-F. tion provided with a bearing edge, the longer dimension of said apertured portion being `of substantiallythelength of the longer diing cooperating members carrying at its crossed portion an upstanding cam pivot of ligure 8 shape in cross section, the other of said members having a figure 8 shaped aperture therethrough, leaving a bearing edge adapted to cooperate with said cam pivot, the longer dimension of said aperture being substantially equal to the longer dimension of the cross sectional area of said cam pivot but the shorter dimension being substantially greater than the shorter dimension of said cross sectional area and the diagonal corners of said apertured portion being spaced apart a distance substantially equal to the longer dimension of the cross section of said cam pivot, the outer end of said cam pivot carrying means for connecting said members together for swinging movement.

4. In pliers, a pair of crossed members having cooperating jaw portions, one of said members carrying at its crossed portion an upstanding cam pivot of figure 8 shape in cross section, the other of said members having a recessed portion provided With a bearing edge adapted to cooperate with said cam pivot, said bearing edge being also of igure 8 shape and having a longer dimension substantially equal to the longer dimension of the cross sectional area of said pivot but having a shorter dimension substantially greater than the shorter dimension of said cross sectional area, the longitudinal cross sectional line of said pivot extending at an acute angle to the longitudinal center line of the pliers when said members are swung to closed position and said bearing edge extending longitudinally of said center line of the pliers When the members are in closed position.

In testimony whereof I aiix my signature.

GUSTAF C. F. BECK. 

